Bonapartenykus
| Bonapartenykus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 70 Ma[1] | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Suborder: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Alvarezsauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Patagonykinae |
| Genus: | †Bonapartenykus Agnolin et al., 2012 |
| Species: | †B. ultimus |
| Binomial name | |
| Bonapartenykus ultimus Agnolin et al., 2012 | |
Bonapartenykus (named in honor of José Bonaparte)[2] is a genus of alvarezsaurid theropod dinosaurs known from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian/Maastrichtian stage) of northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. The type species is B. ultimus.[3] An adult female of B. ultimus has been discovered with two eggs that may have still been inside its oviducts,[1][2] although some evidence suggests that the eggs may have been incubated in a nest.[4] The size of the adult female has been estimated as at least 8.5 feet (2.6 m),[2] and the weight of Bonapartenykus has been estimated as 100 pounds (45 kg).[1] Its diet probably consisted of insects.[1] Paleontologist Fernando Novas compared its bones to those of the ñandú, a modern-day Patagonian flightless bird.[5]
The eggs of Bonapartenykus were considered unique enough for them to be given a new parataxonomic name, Arriagadoolithus, which was classified in a new oofamily, the Arriagadoolithidae, so named for the owner of the site where the discovery was made.[3][4]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Bob Strauss. "Bonapartenykus". About.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
- 1 2 3 Jennifer Viegas (April 11, 2012). "Dinosaur Mom Died with Eggs Still Inside Her". Discovery News. Discovery Communications. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
- 1 2 Federico L. Agnolin, Jaime E. Powell, Fernando E. Novas and Martin Kundrát (June 2012). "New alvarezsaurid (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from uppermost Cretaceous of north-western Patagonia with associated eggs". Cretaceous Research. 35: 33–56. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2011.11.014.
- 1 2 Nola Doyle-Burr (April 11, 2012). "Which came last, the dinosaur or the egg?". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
- ↑ "Bird-like dinosaur found with eggs in Patagonia". BBC News. BBC. April 12, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2012.